There is increasing societal sensitivity to environmental issues, including minimization of the introduction of undesirable substances into the environment for the purposes of eliminating health concerns, preserving the integrity of the planet, and the film in that connection, there have been substantial efforts not only in the public sector, but also the private sector, to institute improved environmental practices. This has included the introduction of voluntary and sometimes mandatory standards by which the environmental friendliness of products in the marketplace can be judged. Products which meet such standards, and the commitment to furnishing same, are often referred to as “green” or “environmentally friendly”. Indeed, it is considered very valuable to be qualified to apply such an appellation (or some equivalent) to products in commerce.
The flooring industry is not exempt from the phenomenon discussed in the preceding paragraph. Customarily, natural—and more recently synthetic polymeric—materials have been utilized to fashion flooring. However, the performance profile of flooring products so constituted has not been entirely satisfactory. To secure a more beneficial package of performance properties flooring products comprising multiple layers of varying materials have been introduced. Known as laminate flooring, products of this sort may contain a transparent or opaque wear layer disposed over a design layer which in turn is disposed over a support layer.
Furthermore, whether formed of natural, synthetic or laminate material(s), flooring products known in the art can feature interlocking elements, such as groove and tongue joints. These interlocking elements allow for easier installation of the flooring products since they do not require adhesive. Interlocking elements such as those described in U.S. Publication No. 2008/0138560 A1, EP 843,763 A1, EP 1,024,234 A1, EP 1,036,341 A1, EP 698,126 A1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,747, can be used in a variety of different flooring products. For example, a floor tile may contain an edge profile on at least two opposite edges in the form of a modified groove and tongue joint for the purpose of connecting adjacent tiles, with a coincident arrangement consisting of one groove and one tongue on each of at least two edges, of which the tongue on one edge of a first tile and the groove in an associated edge of a second tile rise obliquely upwards from the bottom of the tile.
As indicated, conventional laminate flooring provides several advantages over natural floor materials, such as lower cost, case of replacement, and lighter weight. Similarly, conventional laminate flooring confers one or more advantages over other conventional products made of synthetic materials, for instance, durability, wear-resistance and sound-damping capacity. More specifically, one aspect of laminate flooring which is particularly important is the thickness of the floor panel or tile. Traditionally, there has been a perception that thicker panels are superior to thinner panels. This stands to reason, as greater thickness confers advantages such as greater durability, and particularly sound damping capacity.
However, thicker panels have two important drawbacks, they require more material to produce, and they weigh more. These drawbacks disadvantageously affect the producer, the consumer, and the environment. That is to say, the producer is forced to purchase more material and transport heavier cargo (on a unit-by-unit basis in any event), which increase production and transportation costs. These costs are then passed on to the consumer in the form of higher floor panel prices.
In addition, thicker flooring products tend to frustrate compliance with governmental regulations designed to protect the environment. Thus, with thicker flooring products come environmental consequences. For example, the increased fuel consumption attendant upon transporting greater volumes and weight associated with thicker flooring products, has a negative impact on the environment. The foregoing is compounded by the fact that flooring products, such as laminate tiles, typically have at least one layer made from one or more polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, and thicker flooring products typically contain more of the polymer. Unfortunately, the disposal of such polymer can consume fossil fuels, increase landfill loads, and result in the release of undesirable substances. Thicker flooring tends to exacerbate the problems.
As already discussed, beyond government regulations, the prevalence of environmental concerns has given rise to the popularization of voluntary standards, compliance with which entitles one to publicize that fact for competitive advantage. For instance, the U.S. Green Building Council has established a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system which sets forth scientifically based criteria for obtaining LEED credits based on a point system. Under the LEED rating system, a higher number of points are granted when a higher percentage of post-consumer (recycled) materials are used in new products. Products of conventional thickness can be insufficiently adapted to meeting sought-after standards.
Practice in the flooring area has been constrained by competing principles such as described. On the one hand, we are not aware of any teaching in the art of conventional non-laminate flooring product with the preferred performance profile regarding durability, wear-resistance and sound-damping capacity. On the other hand, laminate flooring products which have a preferable performance profile insofar as they exhibit relatively superior durability, wear-resistance or sound-damping capacity, are undesirably thick from an environmental standpoint. Thus, the current state of the art provides for laminate flooring thicknesses of approximately 7-14 mm. See, for example, the following manufacturers and products: Armstrong™ product, 12 mm (http://www. armstronng.com/flooring/laminate/afzelia-wood-plank-1.3030/floor-105302.asp); “floorstoyourhome.com” left hand column, 8-11.3 mm (http://www.floorstoyourhome.com/category/51/tile-laminate-flooring.cfm); “builddirect.com”, 7-14 mm (http://www.builddirect.com/Laminate-Flooring.aspx); Mannington™ product, 12.7 mm (http://www.mannington.com/Residential/Laminate/Diamond%20Bay/Hawaiian%20Koa/26800.aspx).
A more aggressive claim is made in U.S. Publication No. 2008/0138560 A1 (the “560 Publication”). page 1, paragraph 16, which purports to enable products with thickness down to 4 mm, but even that reference indicates a satisfactory laminate tile cannot be produced with a thickness under 4 mm. More specifically, it is taught that “the inventive panel should be thicker than the conventional elastic floor panels . . . [and the] thickness should be 4 to 8 mm”.
A significant practical problem is that simply minimizing the amount of environmentally undesirable substances is insufficient. Instead, the “greening” of products would preferably be achieved without undue loss of performance in providing protection for surfaces which they are utilized to cover. For instance, the MPI Green Performance standard “therefore requires that all products shall meet or exceed the performance requirements of the applicable MPI product standard.” The point is that “greening” should, to the extent possible, nut entail sacrificing properties which are conventionally taken as characterizing proper product performance.
Achieving the dual objectives of “greening” laminate flooring products while maintaining good performance is a challenging proposition. From the art, one of ordinary skill would have deduced that the thinning of flooring panels in accordance with “green” principles commonly leads to degradation of at least one important property (and often more than one) such as sound-damping capacity. More specifically, in our experience flooring-product performance can be characterized by: constituent material mass and weight ease of replacement; durability; wear-resistance; sound-damping capacity; and cost. Were a laminate flooring product to be “greened” by decreasing its thickness, the diminution of one or more of those properties would have been expected. This is especially so in view of the clear teaching in the 560 Publication away from a panel of thickness less than 4 mm.
But, a thinner product, if attainable, could mitigate anticipated compromise of the environment. Furthermore, the 560 Publication does not provide any indication to one skilled in the art of the realization of superior performance at thickness of less than 4 mm, not to mention how such a tile could be produced with satisfactory quality.
It would be a substantial advance in the art if a laminate flooring product exhibiting the desired performance profile and also being of thickness less than 4 mm, so as to be environmentally friendly, could be achieved.